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Fruit & Orchards Trees

Trimmer Damage to Young Mango Tree

Michael Schafer

2 years ago

Any chance at all I can save this? It's a Nam Doc Mai mango tree, a year or so old, but it was only planted in July. We live in Miami so it theoretically will have fine weather to recover all winter but...is the cut too deep or big to recove? Makes me so sad. Already fired the landscaping company and demanded compensation, but I really want to save the little guy!

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Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years ago
If the damage circumnavigates the entire trunk - removal of the bark, damage to the cambium - then the tree is most likely toast. Sorry. It affects the tree's vascular system or the ability to transport water and nutrients to the upper portions of the tree. If this is interrupted - a common issue with string trimmer damage - then the tree essentially will starve to death.
Michael Schafer thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
nantokanare
2 years ago
Don't give up. I have a tree with similar damage that is taking up nutrients and growing, also from careless landscaping. Outer bark gone around 75% of the trunk, about half the trunk missing, if that weren't bad enough what's left of the trunk cracked in half, so the only connection left between the leaves and the roots was a thin strip of outer bark that only went like 25% around.

The leaves of both the injured tree and a healthy tree beside it turned dark green in response to an application of mycorrhizal fungi, which increased nutrient uptake, so it's able to move nutrients. The leaves are still growing, although much more slowly. Leaves perk up at night and after watering.

The most important thing right now is to protect it from bugs, fungi, and disease that will attack an injured plant. I've been battling carpenter ants since the wound, and cinnamon seems to work, but I have to keep applying it every day or two and picking the ants out. Keep the wound dry and free of debris so it can heal over.

Keep the soil as moist as you can without overwatering, but be very careful not to get the wound wet, so that fungi and bacteria can't grow inside.

I would also pre-emptively stake it, because with that much trunk gone, it can break more easily. My tree's trunk might not have broken if I'd staked it to begin with.
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Thanks for that. They are growing in direct sunlight for the most part. I water them every day. They are growing in small pots (4inch diameter) outdoors in potting mix. I tried feeding them some dynamic lifter to no avail. Diagnoses now for large splotches are sun-damage, inadequate water or fungal infection? Looking at the small little round black spots. There seems to be two categories: 1) Dry and can be brushed off. 2) Wet, and can be spread. Diagnosis for black spots now are insect related? Thanks for your help This post was edited by waldomed on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 17:33
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jofus, I agree don't dig them up...here is a couple of pics of mine that were severely damaged last Jan.09 freeze. It recovered...although it took appx. 4-5 months to start looking like a mango tree again. It will depend on the tree, temps and other factors so no guarantee it will recover...but its worth waiting to make sure. I have two lychee trees that are "severely damaged" (looks like someone used a blow torch on it) from this recent freeze but I am waiting till March to prune and see if it will recover. Today it looks like its at deaths door, but I am trying to be optimistic. Good luck and don't give up quite yet! Same tree after 5 months...taken May 09. This one sustained some freeze damage from this recent freeze but mostly foliage so far.
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I have lost several young trees to squirrels. Nasty buggers! The worst culprit for trunk damage is a lawn maintenance company. One whack with a string trimmer will sloooowly kill a tree. Add weekly abuse and the tree will eventually die. It's called ringing a tree. Cuts off the nutrient supply and the tree will decline from starvation.
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Jofus, H.depot and Lowe's sells the Conduit(electrical department) and comes in a 10ft length for what its worth. Of course you would have to bury at least 18" or so in the ground(so you're pushing your trees that are 7'-8'. I'm not familiar enough about the water thing, so I can't comment on it. As far as trees that are over 10 ft...I don't think any mango(tropical trees) actually get "immune" to freeze. Its just more likely they will "fare" much better and not die because the roots are more established. I've seen some trees in my neighborhood that were over 20 ft that had "severe" frost damage from last years freeze, but they are all alive and have regrown at least half of what they lost. You will still lose leaves and some of the branches, but a much better chance you will not kill the tree? My Mango and Lychee trees were fine w/out any type of protection to 34Â°-32Â° as long as its only a couple of hours or so. The only reason I covered mine when the forecast was 34Â° was just to be overly cautious...just in case the weatherman was wrong and it dipped a couple of degrees lower. The first year I planted it...I covered them when the temps were forecast to 35Â° or lower...not to take any chances. Last year I didn't cover them until the forecast was going to be 32Â° or below. You should have no problems at all at 48Â°... Good luck!
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krnuttle
2 years ago
10 years ago when we bought this house, there was a small maple with similar damage. While it had beautiful fall leaves,and appeared to have survived he damage, it was about the same size as it was 10 years ago..

Two years ago the top of the crown started to die and last spring the die back was worse. I finally had to take it out. I should have replace it 10 years ago and today would have had a nice tree.

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